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Mario Calleja
| cityofbirth = Roseau | countryofbirth = Dominica | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = | position = Defender | currentclub = Calabria | clubnumber = 15 | youthyears = 2006-2008 2008-2010 | youthclubs = Bath Estate FC Chapman | years = 2010-2013 2013-2017 2017 2017-2019 2019 2019- | clubs = FC Chapman II FC Chapman → Carina City (loan) Merrickton → Calabria (loan) Calabria | caps(goals) = | nationalyears = 2014- | nationalteam = Dominica | nationalcaps(goals) = | manageryears = | managerclubs = }}Mario Calleja (born July 27, 1992 in Roseau) is a Dominican professional footballer who plays in St. Gregory as a central defender for Calabria, on loan from Merrickton. Calleja moved to St. Gregory in 2008, joining the FC Chapman Academy, and has played in the territory ever since, earning three League A winners' medals with the Golden Eagles. Club career FC Chapman At age 16, while playing for Bath Estate FC in his hometown, he was spotted by scouts from FC Chapman and invited to join the club's academy. Calleja was promoted to the first team at the beginning of the 2013-14 League A season and was part of a relatively inexperienced back line. Nonetheless, Chapman were dominant throughout the season, losing just two matches en route to a league and cup double. Carina City After appearing in just three matches in the first half of 2016-17, Calleja was loaned to Carina City of League B on January 25, 2017. He debuted for the club three days later at home against Winston Beach. Calleja's performances were unable to save the club from relegation as a last-day draw with CGC Red Stars sent both clubs down to League C for 2017-18. Calleja returned to Chapman at the conclusion of his loan spell on July 1, 2017. Merrickton On July 21, 2017, Calleja was sold for US$100,000 to another League B club, Merrickton F.C., with whom he signed a four-year contract. Calabria On January 7, 2019, Calleja joined League A side Calabria on loan through the end of the 2018-19 season, with an option for a permanent transfer if Calabria survive relegation. Calabria finished 12th in League A in 2018-19, ensuring their League A survival and triggering the purchase clause in Calleja's contract. Calabria elected to transfer him permanently on July 1, 2019, signing him for a further two years. International career Calleja has been a St. Gregory national since 2012 and thus was eligible for the St. Gregory national team. He expressed a desire to play for the country of his birth, however, saying: "St. Gregory has given me so much, but I am a Dominican and they would be my first choice, always." Calleja received his first cap for Dominica on March 26, 2015, in a 3-2 win over the British Virgin Islands in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Calleja became a permanent resident of the United States in June 2014 and does not count against an SGFA club's limit on international players. Shirt number At the FC Chapman Academy, Calleja wore shirt number 45 as a tongue in cheek reference to the words of a coach in Dominica who told him, "if you go and play in St. Gregory, you'll be lucky if you see 45 minutes a match." Prior to the 2014-15 League A season, at the request of FC Chapman manager Matthew Frame who wanted numbers, "in the lower stratosphere," Calleja switched his number to 2. "They said I would be lucky to see half a match... I saw two trophies in my first year," Calleja joked. Category:Player pages Category:A.C. Calabria players Category:Merrickton F.C. players Category:Carina City F.C. players Category:FC Chapman players Category:People from Dominica